Salesforce.com (CRM) provides applications that manage customer information for sales, marketing and customer support. It has a customer base of approximately 85,000 clients. Its service provides sales leads, maintaining customer information and tracking customer interactions.

Intuit (INTU) caters to small businesses with its QuickBooks and TurboTax software. As well, it provides payroll and financial software for small businesses. The company has about 50 million users of its products.

Continue reading Salesforce.com and Intuit Join Forces to Capture Small Business Clients

Salesforce.com and Intuit Join Forces to Capture Small Business Clients originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shares of customer relationship software giant Salesforce.com (CRM), which I first wrote about on June 18, 2009, at a price of $40.16, have pulled back this winter from a high near $151 to about $125, but I still like the shares at this juncture. Here's why.

Salesforce.com is a company whose products and services are hot. Revenue likely will rise 25% to 30% in FY2012, following a 27% surge in FY201.

Salesforce.com designs "on-demand" customer relationship software, software that lowers up-front investment, increases vendor accountability and enables flexible subscription pricing, among other benefits.

Continue reading Salesforce.com Is Well Positioned for Growth

Salesforce.com Is Well Positioned for Growth originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The past few years have been brutal for small businesses but it looks like things are starting to improve. A report from the National Federation of Independent Business shows that confidence is at a three-year high. There are even more plans to hire employees.

Well, top companies and investors are seeing opportunity. For example, Google (GOOG) Ventures, Salesforce.com (CRM) and Sequoia Capital have announced a $32 million round for HubSpot.

Continue reading Google, Salesforce.com Bet Big on Small Business

Google, Salesforce.com Bet Big on Small Business originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• SINA (SINA) to overweight from neutral at Piper Jaffray.
• Texas Instruments (TXN), ON Semiconductor (ONNN), Xilinx (XLNX) and Valassis (VCI) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Salesforce.com (CRM) to buy from hold at Canaccord.
• Peet's Coffee (PEET) to buy from neutral at Janney Capital.
• Invesco Mortgage (IVR) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• BTU International (BTUI) to buy from hold at Wunderlich.
• Coca-Cola Femsa (KOF) to overweight from neutral at HSBC.
• Chipotle (CMG) to market perform from underperform at Morgan Keegan.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AKAM, CIEN, CMG, CRM, FDO, GOOG, JNPR, MCC, TXN, YHOO ...

Analyst Calls: AKAM, CIEN, CMG, CRM, FDO, GOOG, JNPR, MCC, TXN, YHOO ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

But there are exceptions. Just look at Salesforce.com (CRM). It seems there is no end to the company's growth. Then again, it is a leader in cloud computing, which is expected be one of the biggest megatrends in tech history.

Continue reading Salesforce.com's Growth Machine Won't Stop

Salesforce.com's Growth Machine Won't Stop originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading U.S. Stock Futures Up as Crude Oil Prices Stabilize

U.S. Stock Futures Up as Crude Oil Prices Stabilize originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We recently held a discussion with SAP (SAP) about the company's growth prospects, highlighting opportunities in on-premise, on-demand and enterprise mobile software markets (on-device). On-demand is a fast growth market, in which SAP competes with players like Salesforce.com (CRF), Oracle (ORCL) and Microsoft (MSFT).

We also discussed the prospects of in-memory technology and its potential advantages over traditional relational database technology, like competitor Oracle's Exadata machines.

Continue reading Optimistic Outlook for SAP's On-Demand Market Prospects

Optimistic Outlook for SAP's On-Demand Market Prospects originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• U.S. Steel (X) to buy from neutral and Barnes & Noble (BKS) to neutral from sell at Goldman.
• Salesforce.com (CRM) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Dollar Tree (DLTR) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Edison International (EIX) to hold from sell at Citigroup.
• Analog Devices (ADI) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ADI, BKS, CMG, CRM, DANG, DLTR, FDO, LLTC, NFLX, X ...

Analyst Calls: ADI, BKS, CMG, CRM, DANG, DLTR, FDO, LLTC, NFLX, X ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Verizon (VZ) to conviction buy from buy at Goldman.
• CSX (CSX) to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• AK Steel (AKS) to overweight from neutral, as well as Lorillard (LO) and Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) to neutral from underweight, at JPMorgan.
• Marathon Oil (MRO) to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• Corning (GLW) to buy from outperform at CLSA.
• Quest Diagnostics (DGX) to buy from hold at Jefferies and to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.
• Salesforce.com (CRM) to buy from neutral at Roth Capital.
• Baker Hughes (BHI) to buy from hold at Weeden and to outperform from neutral at Macquarie.
• Western Digital (WDC) and Seagate (STX) to buy from underperform at BofA/Merrill.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AKS, CIEN, CRM, CSX, DGX, GLW, LO, MRO, OXY, STX, VZ ...

Analyst Calls: AKS, CIEN, CRM, CSX, DGX, GLW, LO, MRO, OXY, STX, VZ ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Has Salesforce.com Topped at $150?

Has Salesforce.com Topped at $150? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Serious Money: Netflix and Tulips

Serious Money: Netflix and Tulips originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

While Salesforce.com (CRM) is the clear leader in cloud computing, the company still has serious competitive threats. In fact, the company is making some major changes -- with the goal of going to the next-level. Salesforce.com calls this "cloud 2.0."

A key to this strategy is acquisitions. Last year, Salesforce.com made six deals (they included Jigsaw, Sitemaster, Activa, Live Chat, Heroku and Etacts). And with a huge market cap and cash pile, Salesforce.com is certainly positioned nicely for more transactions in 2011.

Continue reading Salesforce.com Strikes a Deal for Dimdim

Salesforce.com Strikes a Deal for Dimdim originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Even before the phrase "cloud computing" became popular, Citrix Systems (CTXS) was a top player in the industry. Over the years, the company has developed sophisticated technologies to leverage the Internet to share applications and allow groups to collaborate.

After being stuck in a trading range for some time, this year the stock of Citrix got juiced up. A big help has certainly been the surge from the leader in cloud-computing, Salesforce.com (CRM).

Continue reading Citrix Goes Global with Deal for Netviewer

Citrix Goes Global with Deal for Netviewer originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Salesforce.com Strikes a $212 Million Deal for Heroku

Salesforce.com Strikes a $212 Million Deal for Heroku originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Salesforce.com Hits a New High After Earnings

Salesforce.com Hits a New High After Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you took some profits off the table in June, with customer relationship software giant Salesforce.com (CRM), which I first wrote about on June 18, 2009, at a price of $40.16, you most likely notched a better than 80% on those shares.

Since that time, the stock has raced ahead, powering through key psychological resistance at $100 like a BMW 7-Series in third gear, then vaulting to $124, before pulling back to about $108.

Continue reading Salesforce.com Roars Ahead

Salesforce.com Roars Ahead originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 15 Oct 2010 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Piper Jaffray upgraded Salesforce.com (CRM) to overweight from neutral, citing valuation following the recent sell-off and strong business trends. The firm has a $115 price target for shares.
• Keefe Bruyette upgraded M&T Bank (MTB) to market perform from underperform on valuation after AIB sold its stake in the company. The firm has a $72 price target for shares.
• Jefferies upgraded OGE Energy (OGE) to buy from hold following the announcement that ArcLight will purchase 9.9% of OGE's interest in Enogex for $183M and believes this deal highlights the hidden value associated with Enogex. The firm raised its price target to $51.50 from $43.
• Thomas & Betts (TNB) was upgraded to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.
• Bayer (BAYRY) was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Texas Roadhouse (TXRH) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Baird.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: A, ARST, BAC, C, COST, CRM, DPS, GS, JPM, MS, MTB, VOD ...

Analyst Calls: A, ARST, BAC, C, COST, CRM, DPS, GS, JPM, MS, MTB, VOD ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Salesforce.com (CRM) remains one of the top institutional-quality plays on the cloud computing movement," says Mike Cintolo.

The editor of Cabot Top Ten Weekly explains, "Cloud computing is a movement that really only gained momentum within the past year, but promises to transform how businesses access their various applications.

Continue reading The 'Chatter' on Salesforce.com (CRM)

The 'Chatter' on Salesforce.com (CRM) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"With the uber-ambitious Ellison and Hurd now paired, I think the safe bet is we're going so see Oracle (ORCL) make some major moves (yes, probably more than one major acquisition)," suggests tech sector expert Paul McWilliams.

The editor of Next Inning explains, "After all, even without Hurd at his side, Oracle founder, Larry Ellison has been an aggressive buyer and now with Hurd on board I think the appetite could become ravenous.

"I think its probably a good idea to start thinking about what Oracle might do next.

Continue reading Who's Next? Speculating on Tech Takeovers

Who's Next? Speculating on Tech Takeovers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 15 Sep 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

No doubt, the dominant player in cloud-computing is Salesforce.com (CRM). And investors have certainly benefited nicely. But what are some other plays in the sector? If cloud-computing is a growing industry, other operators should benefit as well, right?

Definitely. And it looks like one is NetSuite (N), which develops an enterprise resource planning platform (this manages payroll, inventory, HR and so on). In fact, it is the only type of its kind that has massive scale. And, as seen by its latest earnings report, NetSuite is certainly gaining momentum.

Continue reading NetSuite Q2 Earnings Sweet for Investors

NetSuite Q2 Earnings Sweet for Investors originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.